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Friday, July 22, 2011

Justin Moore, "Bait a Hook"

Songwriters:  Justin Moore, Rhett Atkins, Jeremy Stover

I'm just gong to put it out there.  I've never had much tolerance for the whole "Country boys are awesome - city boys are wusses" subgenre of country music.  In contrast to what the chest-thumping backwoods barbarians would have us believe, there's actually a lot about country music that can appeal to city-dwelling individuals, and there are plenty of city folks who like country music.  It short-changes the entire genre to paint the country culture as a sort of exclusive club.

The lyrics of "Bait a Hook" indicate that, in Justin Moore's world, the suitability of a potential new boyfriend hinges on his proficiency in hunting and fishing, ability to skin a buck, and capacity to down copious amounts of liquor.  In addition, possession of a frou-frou Prius or similar hybrid vehicle results in automatic disqualification.  Don't know who Jack Daniels is?  You're out, buddy!  Justin Moore scornfully laughs at the pitiable urban fool his ex-girlfriend has left him for.  As he confidently declares himself "not even worried," because she'll "come runnin' back," it's downright irritating.

Am I the only one who finds it frustrating that virtually all Justin Moore can think to sing about is how country he is?  Aside from "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away," which was actually rather good, Justin's single releases have constantly seen him trying to sell the same one-dimensional character over and over again.  It's getting very old very fast, and it frankly wasn't even all that interesting to begin with.

I can't get behind this.  I just can't.

JUSTIN'S SCORE:  4
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)